Dark Lord: The Early Years

 

Author: Jamie Thomson

Age Range: 9-14 (Kirkus reviews)

Interest Range: 9-14

Genre: Fantasy, Magical Realism, Humor

Plot: Dirk Lloyd has been hit by a car and lapsed into some kind of amnesia- at least that’s what he was told after waking up in a supermarket parking lot and being rushed to a hospital. But Dirk knows exactly who he is: The Dark Lord from the Iron Tower of Despair at the Gates of Doom, from the Dark Lands. The white wizard has sent him here to earth and trapped him in the body of a 12-year-old boy because it was the only way to defeat him, and now no one believes him. The child psychologists think he’s created some elaborate fantasy to deal with a traumatic event- they even try hypnotizing him to find out the real story! But after months of living in a foster home and learning how to navigate the seventh grade as a puny human boy, Dirk isn’t changing his tune. But he is managing to learn how to show affection and gain ::gasp:: friends instead of minions. Is Dirk faking, or is he really from another world, full of orcs and goblins?

Review: I loved this book! Between the humor and the references to movies and role playing games, there were very well done discussions on bullying, going to therapy, navigating inter-group relations at school, dealing with the powerless feeling of being a kid. It’s hard to be the nerd, especially when you’re so lost in your world that you can’t help but let it come out sometimes. Dirk lets his flag fly high, and gains friends in the process. His closest friends end up spanning three very different groups: a goth girl, a very normal boy, and the most attractive and popular jock in the seventh grade. His unwillingness to back down in the face of bullies is inspiring, and his interactions with the child psychologists are frustrating and (I would imagine) pretty spot-on for most kids. This book might appeal to a very different kind of kid- or at the very least let those who are always focused on the good guys take a walk on the dark side. Like Dirk always says “Why is it always for goodness’ sake? Why can’t it be for evil’s sake? For evil’s sake!”

Themes: Bullying, Illness, Changes at Home, Building New Relationships

Additional Info:

Main Characters:

Dirk Lloyd: The Dark Lord, or so he believes. The adults are trying to tell him he’s been hit by a car and just cannot remember his real name, parents, or anything about his past. But Dirk is convinced he was fighting a war in his home, the Dark Lands, and was banished by a white wizard. Now he’s been placed in a foster home and must start attending school like any other normal kid. But Dirk is anything but normal, and his teachers and fellow students don’t quite know what to think.

Christopher Purejoie: The son of Dirk’s new foster parents. Chris and Dirk eventually manage to become friends. Chris even earns the title “Mouth of Dirk” for his wonderful ability to act as translator between Dirk and his surroundings.

Susan Black: Upon first meeting her, Dirk mistakes Sooz for a vampire- even addressing her loudly as “Child of the Night” and disrupting class. But Sooz is a goth, not a vampire, and really likes Dirk. I mean, really likes him. She even decides to take the heat when the three of them (Sooz, Dirk, and Chris) get in some major trouble.

Sal Malik: The most popular jock in the seventh grade. His interests lie mostly in Baseball and Soccer, and Dirk only manages to earn his friendship when he displays his strength in tactics. Soon the two are meeting secretly to come up with plans on how to crush the competition. Dirk even promises Sal the position of Lord High Overseer of the Armies of Darkness, due to his physical prowess.

All three sidekicks are certain that Dirk is crazy and just coming up with stories. They know he believes every word he says, but none of them actually thinks he’s telling the truth.

Bibliographic Info:

Thomson, J. (2012). Dark Lord: The Early Years. New York: Walker Publishing Company, Inc.

Tagline:

Dirk Lloyd is from another plane of existence, but for now he’s trapped on Earth in the body of a puny 12-year-old boy. How’s a real Dark Lord supposed to take over anything when his magic stops working and he’s reduced to a child?

Invisible Inkling

Author: Emily Jenkins

Age Range: 7-10 (Kirkus Review)

Interest Range: 7-10

Genre: Fantasy,  Magical Realism

Plot: Hank Wolowitz is not looking forward to the fourth grade. His best friend Alexander has moved away and he is facing the year without any real friends to share it with. But one day, he feels something. It’s fur, under the counter. And then again when the neighbor’s dog just won’t stop barking at an empty corner. Eventually he discovers Inkling, an invisible bandapat who has traveled to Brooklyn in search of the Big R0und Pumpkin, because he really loves squash. But the Big Round Pumpkin isn’t a vegetable at all, it’s Hank’s parent’s ice cream shop. Despite the disappointment, Inkling sticks around to help Hank- since he owes him for having saved his life. Hank’s got problems at school. And when Bruno Gillicut decides that Hank is the perfect person to push around, Inkling comes to the rescue. Will an invisible creature really be able to stand up to a big bully? Or will Hank be forced to pay the sprinkle tax for the rest of eternity?

Review: This was a very cute story about a very real problem. Hank is a lonely kid who is floundering because his best friend is gone. Before he has time to bounce back and find himself with other kids, in comes Bruno. Hank even does what he is supposed to: he talks to the lunch aides, he talks to his teacher. But the lunch aides never see Bruno at work, and Hank’s teacher is too concerned with the fact that Bruno’s family is having problems at home. And maybe Hank should try to befriend Bruno, but Bruno isn’t making it easy. Hank even realizes it when he goes too far, insulting Bruno in a fit of anger by saying something that hits a little to close to that sore spot at home. He feels horrible, and not just because of the beating he knows is coming his way, but because he sunk to Bruno’s level. Eventually, it is Hank that gets in trouble with the school, not Bruno. But Bruno decides to leave Hank alone. Was it the invisible creature that bit the bully, or did Hank really act out enough to scare the boy off? I guess we’ll never know.

Themes: Bullying, Making new Friends

Additional Info:

Main Characters:

Hank Wolowitz: A 9-year-old boy who finds an invisible creature and decides to keep him as a kind of pet. This comes with great timing, since Hank’s best friend has recently moved away. But when Inkling decides he needs to move on in search of more squash, Hank has to face the possibility of losing a friend all over again.

Inkling: An invisible bandapat, we’re unsure of where he comes from since every time he tells a story it’s a new lie. But he makes Hank’s life interesting and Hank appreciates the company.

Nadia: Hank’s older sister, she works sometimes at the ice cream shop and also walks the neighbors’ dogs for extra cash.

Bruno Gilligcut: The fourth-grade bully. The teachers are convinced that he’s just having a rough time at home (his parents have recently split-up) and are looking the other way.

Ms. Cherry: Hank’s 4th grade teacher, who is convinced that no one is your enemy, but only a friend waiting to happen. Ms. Cherry never happens to see when Bruno is exacting his sprinkle tax on Hank or generally stealing his lunch and making his life miserable. She eventually sites Hank as the source of the problem and gets him in trouble. But it’s not entirely her fault, she couldn’t see that the real biter was an invisible creature who was standing up for Hank.

Bibliographic Info:

Jenkins, E. (2011). Invisible Inkling. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Tagline:

Not everybody is lucky enough to know an invisible bandapat, but Hank is. And this one owes him a debt- big time.

Navigating Early

 

Author: Clare Vanderpool

Age Range: 9-12

Interest Range: 9-12

Genre: Realistic Fiction/Magical Realism

Plot: It’s just after the end of World War II, and everything has changed for Jack. It was supposed to be great, he and his mother standing side by side to welcome his father home to Kansas from the Navy. But then his mother died, and now his father has sent Jack off to a boarding school in Maine, close to the naval base where he is currently stationed. Jack is the only boy in school from another state, and most importantly- the only one who doesn’t know his way around a boat. Within the first few weeks, Jack manages to become quite the outsider in school and befriending a strange young man named Early Auden. Early sometimes speaks too loudly, says whatever is on his mind no matter how inappropriate or insensitive it may be, counts his jelly beans in strange ways, and sees a very special story in the number known as pi. But in between all of those things, he also teaches Jack how to build a boat and how to row so he can keep up with his classmates. When Jack’s father is kept away on business during the boys’ fall break, Jack decides to accompany Early on an unbelievable journey into the wilderness surrounding the Appalachian Trail in an attempt to find Early’s brother who never came home from the war and sort out the never ending story of Pi.

Review: So many things happen in this book. Jack is dealing with losing a mother and feeling estranged from his Naval officer father, who was changed by the war and now has no idea how to relate to his own son. He’s also been taken away from everything that he knows and been placed in an entirely new part of the country for his 8th grade year. Early has no mother or father, and is convinced that his brother did not die in the war but is instead lost on a journey. Jack is torn between wanting to be honest with Early about the fact that his brother is gone so that they can get out of the woods and back to safety, and wanting to help him live out his fantasy so that he can continue to function. Their journey through the wilderness is amazing and filled with a very wide cast of characters. In a way, it’s sometimes almost too perfect how Vanderpool helps the boys out of every single snag they run into and wraps everything up so sweetly, but it also gives their journey a very surreal and almost magical or mystical tone. So nicely done that you almost cannot tell if they’re just lucky or it really is magic. Or fate. Or Early’s ability to seemingly know everything.

Themes: Coming of age, Making new friends, Loss, Changes at home

Additional Info:

Advanced Reader’s copy, book will not be released until 2013.

Awards: The Author previously  won the Newbery Medal for Moon Over Manifest

Main Characters:

Jack Baker: Jack is an 8th grader, trying to deal with the loss of his mother, feeling distanced from his father, and being thrown into a new school all at once. Add to the fact that he feels personally responsible for his mother’s death and you can see why he’s having trouble adjusting. His father had told him to look after her while he was away in the war, and Jack had been sleeping outside in the barn the night of his mother’s death. Although there was nothing he could have done (his mother’s death was caused by an aneurism in her brain), he still cannot shake the feeling of guilt in his heart.

Early Auden: Another 8th grade boy who befriends Jack. It is never stated directly, but I am pretty certain that Early is autistic or suffers from Asperger’s: he’s a whiz at math, but very moody and socially awkward and is almost always engaging in some kind of obsessive-compulsive behavior. His obsession with the number pi and the story he can see in the numbers is entrancing and a very interesting way to pull the entire story together.

Bibliographic Info:

Vanderpool, Clare. (2013). Navigating Early. New York: Random House, Inc.

Tagline:

A boy from Kansas befriends the outsider at his new boarding school in Maine. Together, the two take a journey through the woods that you will never forget.

I Kill Giants

Author: Joe Kelly

Illustrator: Jm Ken Niimura

Age Range: the only sites that would give me something here quoted 9-12 (from Target.com) and 13-18 (Barnes & Noble.com). I was unable to find a non-retail website that would quote an age range for this title. This is discussed below.

Interest Range: 10-18, depending on maturity level and life events (my take on it)

Genre: Magical Realism, Coming of Age, Sci-fi/Fantasy

Format: Graphic Novel

Plot: Barbara kills giants. It is her sole purpose in life. She also happens to be in the 5th grade, be a very talented Dungeon Master (for D&D games), and have very few friends. Until Sophia arrives, that is, and the two start a rather rocky friendship. Barbara is quite the outsider in her school, constantly talking back to teachers and bullies alike, and getting in trouble for both. Finally, Barbara is angry. Things are not ok at home. Her older sister has been placed in charge of taking care of the house due to their mother’s current state and their father running out on them. Because of her constant problems in school, Barbara begins regular sessions with the school therapist. It is in these sessions that we realize that Barbara’s giants are her way of dealing with the troubles at home. Through a unique artistic style, the story of Barbara is brought to life- her imagination and reality melded into one.

Review: This was a hard one. I loved it, and want to share the book with everyone, but it is INTENSE. Despite the fact that the main character is in the 5th grade, I don’t know that I would ever hand this book to someone in the tween age group unless I knew them well and knew that they could really handle it. I picked it up because it had been on some state-wide reading lists of notable books a few years ago here in Vermont. The list it was a part of had titles that were geared toward both tweens and teens, and reading about the main character made me assume that it would be appropriate for the 9-12 age group. This book involves a very angry and scared young lady, who is a severe social outsider and dealing (not very well) with some very serious happenings at home. I don’t like the idea of sheltering kids from serious topics, and given the right circumstance I would encourage a younger reader to look at this book without any hesitation, but depending on their age it would have to be someone in a similar situation who would understand where Barbara is coming from. Seeing how she deals with her fear and anger could really help someone out, because in the end she makes it through just fine. I also don’t know if this book would appeal to many teens once they knew Barbara’s age. If they stuck with the story, I think they would really appreciate her narrative. But knowing that youth don’t normally like to read about individuals younger than themselves makes me question what age range this really does fit into.

*Side note: I found it interesting how different retailers placed this book in different reading age ranges. It made me realize that at least between Barnes & Noble and Target, B&N seems to have more of a grasp of content. Target probably looked at the age of the main character (like I initially did) and just assumed it would be best for tweens. Another reason not to trust retailer websites for information of this variety.

Themes: Growing up, Facing fears, Illness, Making new friends, Changes at home

Additional Info:

Featured Lists:

YALSA’s 2010 Top Ten great graphic novels for teens

Main Character:

Barbara Thorson: A very smart 5th grader dealing with things that are way beyond her maturity level. She copes the best she can by exercising her imagination to the extreme- to the point where she sincerely believes that giants roam the earth and that she exists to stop them from destroying everything.

Bibliographic Info:

Kelly, J.; Niimura, J. K. (2010). I Kill Giants. Berkeley, California: Image Comics, Inc.

Tagline:

“We’re a lot stronger than we think we are.”

Friends With Boys

Author: Faith Erin Hicks

Age Range: 11-13 (from Kirkus)

Interest Range:

Genre: Magical Realism

Format: Graphic Novel

Plot: Maggie, like all three of her older brothers, has been homeschooled by her mother through the junior high years. Her whole life as she knows it has revolved around her home. But now, two things have changed. This year, Maggie is entering high school. Also, her mother is gone. Maggie enters high school expecting to be taken care of by all of those older brothers, but quickly realizes that they all have lives of their own. Eventually, she befriends a young outsider, Lucy, and her older brother. Amidst a ghost story and some rule breaking, Maggie learns about the complicated relationships that develop and change in high school, and sets about trying to make some things right for herself and her family.

Review: Maggie is believable and wonderful. Hicks does an amazing job telling her story through words and easy to follow but interesting artwork. Maggie’s first year of high school is spent learning how to fit in, and who she wants to fit in with, while observing the changes happening for all three of her older brothers and even her father at home. With no mother to guide her, Maggie falls to talking with a ghost from the local graveyard, and even gets in some serious trouble trying to help the spirit out. The fantastic elements in this story are just another way of looking at the kinds of relationships we can have with others, and manage to add a bit of a spooky sci-fi element to the story which goes along great with Maggie’s character: a sci-fi movie loving, unique, intelligent young woman.

Themes: New School, Making New Friends

Additional Info:

Main Character:

Maggie: Growing up with 3 older brothers, Maggie is finally being forced to really fend for herself when she enters high school. She befriends Lucy and Alistair and goes on many small-town adventures with this brother-sister duo. Maggie is very intelligent, but still manages to find herself in some sticky situations

Lucy: Another new freshman and younger sister of Alistair. She has never really fit in, and seems proud of that fact. Another young girl who hasn’t had the friendship of many other young girls, she is happy and thankful to become Maggie’s friend.

Alistair: Lucy’s older brother. Used to be part of the volleyball team, and therefore the popular crowd, but he has given that up and become an outsider, all for the sake of his sister. Of course she doesn’t know that.

Daniel: Maggie’s oldest brother. He’s a drama club kid, and surprisingly popular for the non-sporting crowd. He is the same age as Alistair, but does not get along with him due to past events of high school. He is concerned about Maggie hanging around him and Lucy so much.

Bibliographic Info:

Hicks, F. E. (2012). Friends With Boys. New York: First Second.

Tagline:

As if dealing with the first year of high school wasn’t enough, Maggie’s being haunted by a ghost from the local graveyard.

What-the-Dickens

Author: Gregory Maguire

Age Range: 8-12 (from Kirkus)

Interest Range: 8-? Fans of Maguire of all ages might enjoy. Also anyone who enjoys fairy tales and their adaptations.

Genre: Fantasy, Magical Realism

Plot: Dinah and her brother, Zeke, lead a pretty secluded life. Their parents are very stern and don’t put stock in much other than their trusty Bible. When a terrible storm breaks out, they are left in the care of their cousin, Gabe, who is a storyteller by nature. As they struggle through the worst night of the storm, Gabe spins a tale about tooth fairies to keep their fears at bay. What-the Dickens is an orphaned tooth fairy who knows nothing about his own kind. Through his adventures we learn about being an outsider, proving yourself, and the importance of having an imagination.

Review: For being a fan of all of Maguire’s stories for adults, this one did not impress me. The story is fine, and it makes some important points about friendship and imagination that I feel are great for any child to hear, but I don’t think this is one I will be recommending any time soon. The story of the family in the storm did not feel complete, and actually seemed rather unnecessary. It would have done better as a story simply about the tooth fairies. I admired and enjoyed the characters of What-the-Dickens and Pepper, and appreciated the complexity of the ideas that their society contained: division among classes, the struggle to make a name for yourself rather than blending into the background (to the point of literally being stripped of your name and made to do menial servant-work), and the emphasis on the importance of thinking outside-the-box and using your imagination.

Themes: Coming-of-age, Importance of Imagination/Dreams/Wishes

Additional Info:

Main Characters:

Humans:

Dinah: A 10-year-old girl who is stuck on a hilltop, in a storm, with her brother, sister, and older cousin. She is intrigued by the world around her, but has been kept away from most of it for all of her life by over-protective and reclusive parents. Over the course of the book, she discovers a love for stories.

Zeke: Older brother to Dinah, not really into stories. He listens begrudgingly to Gabe’s tale, all the while trying to act above it. But he is loyal to his family and wants to do what is right to keep them all safe in the storm, even if he makes a few mistakes in his earnestness.

Gabe: Older cousin who has been left in charge. He is a teacher of literature and has experienced much more of the world than anyone in Dinah and Zeke’s family, even though he is only in his early twenties. He has not been so sheltered. The story he tells also stars himself as a young boy of 10, when he found the skibbereens taking his tooth one night.

Tooth Fairies:

What-the-Dickens: A skibbereen (tooth fairy) who is orphaned at birth and left to find his way in the world. He comes across as quick slow and dim-witted to those he meets, but manages to find his own strengths along the way. What-the-Dickens questions everyone and every thing and feels very strongly about the bond of friendship.

Pepper: The first skibbereen that What-the-Dickens meets. She is annoyed by his presence, but reluctantly brings him along to her colony where he learns what being a tooth fairy is all about. By the end, she comes full circle and truly appreciates What-the-Dickens, even with all of his oddities.

Bibliographic Info:

Maguire, G. (2007). What-the-Dickens The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.

Great Quote: “‘Dear boy,’ he said. ‘It really is very simple. We plant the possibility of wishes coming true only in the paths of human children. Children still trust that when they wish on something bright – a birthday candle, a penny in a fountain – [a shooting star] – that their wish will come true. Wishing is the beginning of imagination. They practice wishing when they are young things, and then – when they have grown – they have a developed imagination. Which can do some harm – greed, that kind of thing – but more often does them some good. They can imagine that things might be different. Might be other than they seem. Could be better.'” (p.278-9)

Tagline:

Horton’s Miraculous Mechanisms: Magic, Mystery, & a Very Strange Adventure

Author: Lissa Evans

Age Range: 9-14 (from Kirkus)

Interest Range: 8-10 (my judgement)

Genre: Mystery

Plot: 10-year-old Stuart thinks his summer is ruined when his parents announce their plan to move to a new town immediately following the end of the school year. A new town at the beginning of summer means no friends to share it with. But when the Hortens get to Beeton, Stuart discovers an amazing long-lost relative: his uncle was a magician! A hunt for clues ensues as Stuart races the demolition team to uncover his uncle’s long lost workshop. Only through the aid of one of his annoying next-door neighbors can Stuart succeed, but can he trust her? Can he even remember which identical triplet she actually is?

My Review: Stuart’s story is one worth reading. His parents are hilariously dull and unobservant, which allows for Stuart to run off on his daily pursuits without any real hindrance. And with a father who writes crossword puzzles for a living, expect to learn lots of new vocabulary right along with Stuart as he contemplates getting “What?” tattooed on his forehead to save himself some time.  I appreciated the fact that Stuart is not perfect and doesn’t always catch the clues the first time around. Often he goes one way when he should have gone another. Evans writes a fast-paced, fun mystery for kids who like a little bit of magic mixed in with their daily routine.

Themes: Moving, Making Friends

Additional info: First in a series (ongoing)

Main Characters:

* Stuart Horten is very short for a 10 year old. Unfortunately, his name doesn’t help: S. Horten (make that Shorten). He is sarcastic, smart, and not very trusting of the identical triplets who live next door (April, May, and June Kingsley, also age 10. Way taller than Stuart.).

* April, May, and June Kingsley are nosy girls who run their own local newspaper. Stuart suspects it’s nothing more than an excuse to spy on people and make his own life miserable. Despite their identical looks, these girls are not all carbon copies of each other.

Bibliographic Info:

Tagline: